14 N Mission Street • Wenatchee, WA 98801
509.663.5161
www.wenatcheeworld.com

The Wenatchee Daily World was founded on July 4, 1905, by businessmen C.A. Briggs and Nat Ament. Two years later, it was purchased by Rufus Woods and his twin brother Ralph. Rufus published the newspaper while Ralph, A Tacoma attorney, provided legal advice to the fledgling paper. Later, their cousin Warren Woods joined the company to handle the newspaper’s finances. In March 2018, The Wenatchee World was purchased by Wick Communications. It’s a third generation family-owned community media company with newspapers, websites, magazines and specialty publications in 10 states.

During the early years, the newspaper was a forceful proponent for economic development of the Columbia Basin and the area the newspaper called North Central Washington, encompassing Grant, Okanogan, Chelan and Douglas counties.

Rufus Woods and the Daily World became integrally involved in the 23-year battle for Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. Woods wrote the first story about the proposal in 1918, which was followed by hundreds of articles about the project and editorials promoting the concept.

Upon Rufus Woods’ death in 1950, his son Wilfred became editor and publisher of the newspaper and continued to promote economic development in North Central Washington. Warren Woods’ son, Robert, was the newspaper’s editor and later editorial page writer. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Daily World (the name was shortened to The Wenatchee World in 1971) continued to promote regional development, sponsoring a series of trips through Canada and Alaska to study the region’s energy resources.

In 1997, Wilfred Woods turned the reins of the company over to his son, Rufus Woods. The newspaper is owned by the families of Wilfred and Robert Woods.

Wenatchee World Mission Statement: The mission of The Wenatchee World is to engage, inform and inspire our NCW Communities.